TV Review: Mindhunter - Season 1
From producer David Fincher, the newest true crime series to hit the small screen finds itself in the fantastically-realized and undeniably gripping Mindhunter. Based on the enthralling account by renowned criminal profiler John E. Douglas and author Mark Olshaker, Mindhunter sent audiences down a captivating rabbit hole into the minds of not only the murderous serial killers of the late 1970s, but also the devoted agents that hunted them. Through sensational visuals akin to Fincher (who directed four of its episodes) and a handful of enthusiastic performances, Netflix's newest binge-worthy thriller set its sights on changing the game where crime procedurals are concerned.
In the early days of criminal psychology at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, special agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) embark on an ambitious endeavor to revolutionize the role of criminal profiling in homicide investigations. Eventually coining the term "serial killer" for the passionate murderers who hunt in sequence, Ford and Tench dive into the demented minds of some of the country's deadliest killers. Through brisk interviews with the killers themselves that work to explore the deeper psychology behind their grisly crimes, the two agents find themselves at a crossroads between getting quickly in over their heads, and pioneering the newest method in deciphering the most unspeakable of crimes.
At my first glance at Netflix's newest original series, Mindhunter, I struggled to distinguish just what kind of show it was going to be. On one level, it looked like your typical procedural cop show in the vein of CSI or Criminal Minds. On another level, however, the plot and overall atmosphere of the series teased something more personal and non-formulaic. Blending the fragments of a crime investigation series with that of an intelligent psychological thriller, Mindhunter looked to interrogate the deeper crevices of criminal justice, while also delving into the fractured minds of its cast. With a director as detailed and stylistic as David Fincher involved, I knew the series would accomplish this, and perhaps go a step further in the process.
While a plot centered around two ambitious FBI agents embarking into the feverish minds of incarcerated serial killers to catch the ones still free had me seemingly on-board from the start, one of the first distinct things I noticed in Mindhunter was the high bar of direction and cinematography set by Fincher in the show's first two episodes. Capturing his renowned attention to detail and methodical movement of the camera, the first two episodes directed by Fincher felt undeniably his own. With iconic films like Fight Club and The Social Network marking just two bold examples of his complex craft behind the camera, the beginnings of Mindhunter showcased another dark atmosphere of vicious ambiguity just waiting to be uncovered.
Moving forward to the next six episodes of the series, directed collectively by Amy director Asif Kapadia, screenwriter Tobias Lindholm, and Andrew Douglas, the compelling direction of the show never once faltered. Evoking the eye of Fincher in the almost every scene, from the consuming landscapes of northeastern United States to the engrossing, static interrogations with deadly serial killers, the series only furthered its bold ambiguity in both its direction and its storytelling. Playing into that ambiguity, another noticeable element of the series was its divisive lack of violence. Playing up the horrific acts of its central psychopaths in each interrogation scene, the show opted to only tease at its harbored brutality, calling upon the audience to conjure up their own unique images of the gruesome crime.
Turning away from the grotesque, and centering in on its stellar cast, Mindhunter, while visually captivating, also employed fantastic attention to character development. Within its main cast, including Looking's Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Fringe alum Anna Torv, the series balanced its narrative to elegantly mold around not only its enthralling interviews with deadly criminals, but also its intriguing characters based in reality. With Groff, McCallany, and Torv collectively delivering dynamic performances as fictional portrayals of their real-life counterparts, each character held their own emotional significance in the series. Tackling not only the trials of diving into the demented minds of killers, but also the reactionary effect the job puts on their home life, the trio at the center of Mindhunter crafted their complex characters to further enhance the moral ambiguity at the heart of the series.
Overall, with its 10-episode run giving a brief yet highly-engrossing account of one of the most pivotal eras in the evolution of criminal investigation, Mindhunter teased a series of true-to-life interviews with the country's most maniacal serial killers, and ultimately delivered something far more fascinating than just that. A investigation not only into the minds of murderers, but also into the psychologies of its leading cast, the David Fincher-produced series has the potential to go down a number of riveting avenues in its ambitious future on the small screen.
I gave Season 1 of Mindhunter an 8 out of 10 for its dense yet never dull plot of unspooling the minds of psychopaths, its breathtaking cinematography and direction, and its surprising performance by leading man Jonathan Groff, whose wide-eyed FBI agent quickly evolves into a methodical profiler whose ever-growing confidence gains him unprecedented access into the monsters sitting just across the table.
At my first glance at Netflix's newest original series, Mindhunter, I struggled to distinguish just what kind of show it was going to be. On one level, it looked like your typical procedural cop show in the vein of CSI or Criminal Minds. On another level, however, the plot and overall atmosphere of the series teased something more personal and non-formulaic. Blending the fragments of a crime investigation series with that of an intelligent psychological thriller, Mindhunter looked to interrogate the deeper crevices of criminal justice, while also delving into the fractured minds of its cast. With a director as detailed and stylistic as David Fincher involved, I knew the series would accomplish this, and perhaps go a step further in the process.
While a plot centered around two ambitious FBI agents embarking into the feverish minds of incarcerated serial killers to catch the ones still free had me seemingly on-board from the start, one of the first distinct things I noticed in Mindhunter was the high bar of direction and cinematography set by Fincher in the show's first two episodes. Capturing his renowned attention to detail and methodical movement of the camera, the first two episodes directed by Fincher felt undeniably his own. With iconic films like Fight Club and The Social Network marking just two bold examples of his complex craft behind the camera, the beginnings of Mindhunter showcased another dark atmosphere of vicious ambiguity just waiting to be uncovered.
Moving forward to the next six episodes of the series, directed collectively by Amy director Asif Kapadia, screenwriter Tobias Lindholm, and Andrew Douglas, the compelling direction of the show never once faltered. Evoking the eye of Fincher in the almost every scene, from the consuming landscapes of northeastern United States to the engrossing, static interrogations with deadly serial killers, the series only furthered its bold ambiguity in both its direction and its storytelling. Playing into that ambiguity, another noticeable element of the series was its divisive lack of violence. Playing up the horrific acts of its central psychopaths in each interrogation scene, the show opted to only tease at its harbored brutality, calling upon the audience to conjure up their own unique images of the gruesome crime.
Turning away from the grotesque, and centering in on its stellar cast, Mindhunter, while visually captivating, also employed fantastic attention to character development. Within its main cast, including Looking's Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Fringe alum Anna Torv, the series balanced its narrative to elegantly mold around not only its enthralling interviews with deadly criminals, but also its intriguing characters based in reality. With Groff, McCallany, and Torv collectively delivering dynamic performances as fictional portrayals of their real-life counterparts, each character held their own emotional significance in the series. Tackling not only the trials of diving into the demented minds of killers, but also the reactionary effect the job puts on their home life, the trio at the center of Mindhunter crafted their complex characters to further enhance the moral ambiguity at the heart of the series.
Overall, with its 10-episode run giving a brief yet highly-engrossing account of one of the most pivotal eras in the evolution of criminal investigation, Mindhunter teased a series of true-to-life interviews with the country's most maniacal serial killers, and ultimately delivered something far more fascinating than just that. A investigation not only into the minds of murderers, but also into the psychologies of its leading cast, the David Fincher-produced series has the potential to go down a number of riveting avenues in its ambitious future on the small screen.
I gave Season 1 of Mindhunter an 8 out of 10 for its dense yet never dull plot of unspooling the minds of psychopaths, its breathtaking cinematography and direction, and its surprising performance by leading man Jonathan Groff, whose wide-eyed FBI agent quickly evolves into a methodical profiler whose ever-growing confidence gains him unprecedented access into the monsters sitting just across the table.
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